


Someone else's girl

by TetraOfTheSea



Category: Girl Meets World
Genre: F/F, Teen Romance, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-23
Updated: 2016-12-13
Packaged: 2018-08-24 07:44:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8363779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TetraOfTheSea/pseuds/TetraOfTheSea
Summary: It was the end of summer and the start of senior year, and Riley's insides were a tornado of confusion. Slightly inspired by the song "I Want U Bad" by R5.





	1. Girl Code

It was Saturday night. The whole gang was out together, celebrating the end of summer and the start of senior year. Riley Matthews felt young, free, limitless.

They had a few drinks together at Lucas' apartment, his parents were surprisingly chill for being from Texas. Riley hadn't drank too much, just enough to feel something. A kind of carefree buzz.

She had spent most of the night engaged in deep life discussion with Zay and Farkle; Zay making jokes about everything, and Farkle peppering the conversation with scientific facts. 

Across the room in a dimly lit corner, Maya was hanging all over Lucas. Riley glanced over at her occasionally, watching Maya move closer and closer to him. Every bottle she finished, an inch of space seemed to erase between them. Her laughs at Lucas' jokes--undoubtedly funny but not _quite_ that funny--became increasingly louder, and Riley felt a faint touch of annoyance at their exclusivity. She drank deeply from her bottle, she was fine. Her buzz was too strong to be broken by a minor, irrational annoyance.

After all, she couldn't blame Maya if she was attracted to Lucas. It had been over two and a half years since Riley had broken things off with him, and it had ended on good terms. There hadn't been a fight, or cheating, or any other kind of high school drama. Riley just hadn't felt _enough_ for him, something always felt lacking. She had stared into his blue eyes, kissed him for hours, and yet, her feelings for him never felt real. Chalk it up to her inexperience with dating, or puppy love high school romance.

She hadn't dated anyone in the years since. Sure, she had had admirers. Charlie Gardner, a few boys from the football squad, but she just didn't like them like that. Maya made fun of all of them behind their backs, but Riley would always smile and shake her head. They were nice boys, just not right for her.

Maya inched closer and closer to Lucas, her arms draped over his shoulders, laughing and teasing him. Riley found herself becoming a silent participant in her own group conversation, preoccupied with watching them flirt in the corner. She was feeling agitated and not drunk enough. She knew she didn't have any more feelings for Lucas, maybe never had them in the first place, so what was happening to her? She took a long sip and refocused her eyes on the people in front of her.

"Riley? Riley, did you hear my question?" Farkle had apparently been speaking to her.

"Sorry, what?"

He smiled. "I asked if you had your eye on anyone in the senior class. I mean, I don't want to share you again but I will if the right suitor comes along."

Riley swallowed a gulp of beer. "Uhh, no. Not at the moment."

"Can't believe their chemistry, can you?" Zay remarked, noticing her wandering eyes.

She looked back at him quickly. "Yeah I mean, I'm all for it." With so many years of Maya teasing Lucas, she had seen it coming. Maya had turned down every boy who asked her out, so Riley naturally assumed she had been holding out for someone. 

"They sure do look happy. I just hope Lucas is man enough to finally make a move on her tonight." Zay sighed.

Riley's eyes darted back over to them in the corner. "Do you think he will?" She ran her fingertips around the edge of her bottle. She hadn't expected things to move so quickly between them. 

"Well-"

"Riley, are you bothered by them?" Farkle asked suddenly, all too-knowing and observant of Riley for his own good. She whipped her head back towards him and furrowed her eyebrows. "What? Not at all, Farkle. You're drunk."

He stared at her in his analytical-Farkle way, waiting. "I'm going to get another drink," she announced, suddenly finding herself standing up, her buzz slightly affecting her ability to balance.

Riley walked quickly over to the kitchen and grabbed a cold beer bottle out of the fridge. She started to crack it open when she felt a small hand grip her shoulder from behind. "Farkle!" She jumped and turned. Wild blonde hair and blinking blue eyes stared back at her instead. "Oh."

"Geez Louise, what's making you so jumpy?" 

Riley lifted her chin up. "Nothing. I'm fine. Are you enjoying the evening?" she asked quickly and all too formally.

Maya smiled at her sheepishly, "Why yes, I think I am." Riley noticed her glance back over at Lucas for what could've only been a split second, a millisecond perhaps.

She made to walk away from her but Maya held out an arm, grazing Riley's chest as she walked straight into it. "Ow! What?"

"Where are you going?" Maya asked, lowering her eyebrows. "You haven't talked to me all night. Is it... is it me and Huckleberry? I'm not breaking Girl Code am I?"

Riley swallowed. "Of course not. You know how I feel, I broke it off with him. You're free to do whatever you want." 

Maya stared at her. She knew her too well and was unconvinced, Riley knew that. She looked away from her intense blue gaze, and her eyes focused in on Maya's shoulders, bare and glistening in the dim kitchen light. 

"Are you sure?"

"I promise, Maya. It's fine." She turned on one heel and walked back over to the boys, taking a long sip from her bottle. "Chug, chug?" Zay joked.

Farkle cleared his throat. "Should we blow this joint? As much fun as I'm having, it's getting kind of late."

Everyone started gathering their things. Maya was still in the kitchen, one hand on her hip and her drink in the other. 

Riley was the first one out the door, her skirt billowing behind her.

********

Outside, Lucas hailed a cab. It would be a tight fit, but they would manage to squeeze. Always a gentleman, he opened the doors of the car for them and bid them goodnight. His hug with Maya lasted longer than with anyone else, and Riley watched as they pulled back and held each others arms, smiling in a tipsy kind of way. She should be happy for her, Riley thought. Happy that this was finally happening to her. Of course she was happy for her friends.

But as they pulled each other in close, inches away from kissing until Maya pulled back and giggled (since when did Maya ever giggle?), Riley felt her own face morphing into a frown, the bitter aftertaste of cheap beer in the corners of her mouth. 

Farkle and Zay filed into the car, Maya pulling away from Lucas' muscular arms and following them in. Riley squeezed herself into a corner of the car and Lucas shut the door. They rode in peaceful silence, the taxi driver headed for Farkle's apartment first, only a few blocks away.

Riley stared out the window at the passing streetlights; her buzz was wearing off and she longed for the calm serene feelings she had at the beginning of the night. She didn't know why her brain felt so fuzzy, why she was having such a reaction.

She turned her head to look at Maya at the very moment the taxi driver hit the gas on a left turn. Maya was thrown violently to the side of the car, landing in Riley's lap.

The effect was almost immediate. Riley felt the sensation of her own skin warming at Maya's touch, her bare legs in her short skirt rubbing up against Riley's. Maya's skirt was thin, far too thin. She could feel the faint line of what Maya was wearing underneath it, rubbing up against her as the car jerked from side to side. Maya's full weight against her was making her head spin.

"Oops, sorry. You okay, Riles?" 

She looked up at Maya on top of her and swallowed. What the hell was happening to her?

She looked away from her curious eyes; her face was much too close and she could smell every drop of alcohol Maya had consumed on her breath. But it was unlike the bitter taste in Riley's mouth. No, Maya smelled sweet and pleasant, like the inside of her mouth could taste like nothing but sugar and satisfaction.

"Riley?" 

She closed her eyes. "I'm fine, Maya." Why wasn't she getting off her lap?

Maya wrapped her arms around Riley's neck. "If you're sure, Honey." Riley could barely stand her touch, her blonde hair falling over Riley's shoulders as she squeezed her tight. 

They pulled up to Farkle's apartment, and him and Zay jumped out. Maya stayed on Riley's lap for a moment, and then hopped to the side, settling into the passenger seat and pulling her knees to her chest.

They sat in silence. When they finally arrived at Riley's apartment, she followed her out of the car.

"You're not... going home?" Riley asked, a hint of frustration in her tone that she was too tired and buzzed to hide. She just wanted to be alone to sort out her thoughts.

"No, I just, I figured I was sleeping over? Why are you acting weird?"

Riley turned and started walking to the door.

"Riley?" Maya put her hands up in confusion.

"I am not acting weird!" she said a little too loud, spinning around.

Maya cocked her head and walked closer to her, barefoot with her heels in her hand. "Why are you getting so defensive? Is this about me and Huckleberry?"

She turned away from her, walking inside and slamming the door behind her. For a minute, she stood on the other side, glaring into the darkness. Then, as if coming to her senses, opened the door again to a barefoot and bewildered Maya. She wasn't buzzed enough not to realize that she couldn't leave the girl on the street alone at 1 A.M., drunk.

She took her by the wrist and pulled her inside. They stood in the darkness, staring at each other.

"I don't know what's going on, or what's happening to you," Maya said flatly. "Maybe it's the beer, or maybe it's something else. But I'm drunk and I'm confused."

Riley took a few breaths. She felt safer enveloped in darkness. "I don't know either."

Maya took a few steps away to the couch and sprawled out on it. She took a seat in the armchair across from her, and they sat in silence in the darkness, until Riley could hear Maya's breathing slow down and knew she was asleep. Only then did Riley allow herself to begin sorting out her feelings towards her best friend.


	2. X and Y

Riley awoke the next morning to an empty, sunlit living room. She was sprawled out on the armchair, under a blanket with a glass of cold water next to her. _Maya,_ she thought.

She ran her fingers through her hair, it was a wild mess. She couldn't remember falling asleep and had no idea when Maya left. She checked her phone and saw a message from Farkle.

F: Hey. Come over at 11 for waffles?

Riley checked her watch, it was only 9:30. 

R: Sure.

She forced herself to get up and take a shower, and as the steam rose up around her in gray swirls her mind rested uneasily on thoughts from last night. Sober and in the light of day, things were starting to seem clearer.

***********

Riley walked up to the large, silver double doors and rang the bell.

"One minute!" Farkle chimed through the intercom.

The doors swung open wide and Riley embraced him. He looked immaculate for a hungover teenager, but then again he had probably invented and taken some kind of genius anti-hangover concoction.

"How's it going kid?" He pulled her inside to his kitchen island.

"Well, it's... going."

He started pulling out bottles and boxes and fired up the waffle-maker. "Yeah? What'd you think of last night?"

Riley slumped in a chair and put her chin on her hand thoughtfully. How to answer that question. "I think that I don't know what I think."

Farkle smiled. "I thought so." 

They settled into a comfortable silence. Farkle was always a good friend like that; he could read Riley's emotions from a mile away, but cared enough not force it.

"Do you want banana or blueberry?"

"Blueberry," she replied. Maya was the one who liked bananas in her waffles.

"I didn't invite her, you know," he said, glancing up and pouring the batter onto the iron. "Just in case."

Riley nodded slowly. "I'm not... I'm not upset about Lucas. I'm not jealous of her."

"I know that," he said, "but does she?"

Riley shook her head. "I don't know. I don't know anything to be honest. It was such a weird night and I don't...."

He passed a warm, cooked waffle to her. "You don't...?" He waited for her to finish.

"I don't know what I feel for Lucas... or Maya," she finished slowly, the words trickling out of her mouth with discomfort. She grimaced.

Farkle nodded as he took a bite. 

"You saw this coming?" 

He kept nodding. "Of course I did. You don't really think what you and Maya have is a normal friendship, right?" 

Riley pondered this thought. They were closer than any pair of best friends she had ever met; for years she had obsessed over Maya and how perfectly imperfect she was. Her blonde, pale, crazy beautiful and artistic best friend, with a tough attitude but an innocent heart. She was everything.

"I mean, I've never thought of her in _this_ way before...."

"And you don't think that maybe she has?"

Riley whipped her head around to look at Farkle. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I see it. Everyone sees it. Her whole identity crisis in freshman year? What do you think that was really about?"

Riley shook her head slowly. "She was just... growing up. Protecting me from Lucas."

"And why would she feel the need to protect you?"

"Because I'm her... best friend," Riley answered, feeling more and more uncertain. It certainly was extraordinary the lengths Maya had taken to make sure Lucas was a good guy for Riley. She felt a twinge of guilt that she had put Maya through all that just to break up with him anyway. And now, Maya was right back where she started, except without Riley as the third point of a pointless triangle.

"I don't know, Riley," Farkle said solemnly, "but if you're really confused about last night, I think the person you should be talking about it with is Maya."

"I can't tell her," she said instantly, "I can't tell her anything about this." She thought for a moment of Maya on her lap in the cab, the warm pressure of Maya's body on top of her. The heat of her backside against Riley, their legs intertwined...

An imperceptible shiver ran down her spine, and she remembered where she was. Farkle was distracted with clearing the plates.

"All I'm saying is that I think you shouldn't keep this from her. I know it's uncomfortable, but you're going through something. And you've never not told her what you were going through before."

Riley knew he was right. But if Maya really was...well, questioning her sexuality...then she had been keeping something from Riley too. Also, what did Farkle know? Maya seemed very, very into Lucas last night, like it was _his_ lap only that she wanted to sit on. 

Riley sighed. "I'm just going to ignore it," she said, biting her lip.

"Because that's always a good solution."

***********

Her alarm went off at 6:30am. She wiped the sleep from her eyes and checked her phone. Maya had texted her.

M: Still down to walk to school? Didnt hear from you at all yesterday...

R: Yeah sorry, was busy. Sure

M: K see you at 7

Riley pressed the lock button on her phone and stared at the screen. Her background was a picture of her and Maya from years ago, sitting on her bed making silly faces. It had been a long time since Maya had slept over her house, in her bed. I guess they had grown out of it, out of sleeping together. 

She forced herself to get up and start getting dressed, and pushed away intrusive thoughts of sleeping in the same bed as her. 

Before she knew it, birds were chirping, the sun was shining, and 7:00 had arrived along with an exhausted, windswept Maya. She had always had a difficult time adjusting to waking up early for school, but Riley knew she would always be on time at her bay window. She was reliable.

"Hey." Riley looked over at her bay window. "Hi," she said. This was just Maya. Maya who she had been friends with for over 10 years. 

Riley followed her out the window and they set off towards school.

"Soooo, what's new? What did you do yesterday while you were M.I.A.?" Maya asked in a motherly voice.

"Oh, you know. Just hung out with Farkle."

Maya turned her head towards Riley, her golden hair swinging in the wind. "Farkle, huh?" she raised an eyebrow. Riley knew she was wondering why she wasn't invited and she scrambled for a reason. 

"Yeah, just... some homework," she lied. 

"Today's the first day of school, dummy. What could you possibly be working on?" 

Riley grimaced. Luckily, they had just reached the bottom steps of Abigail Adams High and their friends were beckoning them over.

"Ladies," Farkle greeted them.

Zay and Smackle smiled sweetly at them, and Lucas gave a small wave, his eyes resting on Maya. It was almost an appraising look, like he was subtly sizing her up and down like a piece of meat. Riley felt heat in her stomach; he shouldn't be looking at her like that.

"You guys ready for senior year? You think you can handle it?" Lucas asked.

Maya put a hand on her hip and cocked her head. "Handle it? I can handle anything, Huckleberry. Now your country-boy self, I don't think is ready for it. We have A.P. Physics, not cow-milking class." 

Lucas smiled at her, a flash of sparkling teeth and eyes that wrinkled in the corners. "I guess we'll have to see about that city-girl."

Riley fought the urge to gag. They were flirting. They had always teased each other and it had never bothered her before, but there was this added intensity to it now. 

"Hey, we're going to be late for first period guys," Farkle interjected, likely knowing he was coming to Riley's rescue.

They walked quickly up the stairs, Lucas and Maya behind them. Riley blazing a path forward into the unknown.

***********  
First period was boring, it was double physics. They picked lab partners and Riley watched the clock count down. Her partner was Chai, the girl who hadn't liked her in freshman year but had grown to become a warm acquaintance of Riley's over the following years. Chai had even developed a friendship with Maya, going to the movies with her when Riley was busy. 

Next was math class, and that was painfully bland as well. If this was any indication of the rest of the year, Riley was going to be spending a _lot_ of time doodling and daydreaming.

Maya wasn't in either of those classes; in fact, Riley hadn't seen her since the morning. Riley had departed straight for physics, ignoring Maya and Lucas as they walked in together, teasing and flirting and being all around disgusting.

She was starting to come to terms with what was happening to her. It was clear that she didn't feel anything for Lucas, she couldn't care less about him flirting with other girls. The real issue was that this girl he was flirting with was Maya. 

As her math teacher droned on about decimals and fractions and concepts Riley's left-brain oriented self would never grasp, she started putting x and y together in her own mind. 

There was no point in denying it any longer, she was jealous of Lucas. She hated how they flirted with each other this morning. It had all been happening so suddenly it seemed; it was just Saturday night that she had started feeling this way. But then again, they had never hung all over each other like this before. They had never flirted so openly and exclusively with each other. Riley had never had a reason to think about sharing Maya with anyone else; Maya had turned down every boy who had ever asked her out. 

And why was that? Maya was the more mature, experienced one in their relationship. Shouldn't she have been ready to date before Riley? Who had she really been holding out for and why?

Riley was pondering this as the bell rang for lunch. Grabbing her stuff, she headed out into the hallway to find her friends.

"Riles?" she heard a voice calling her name from behind her.

"Oh, hey." 

"How are your classes?" Maya walked quickly to catch up with her, headed for the cafeteria.

"Oh, they're okay. Kind of a bore."

Maya nodded. "Mine are pretty bad too." Riley watched as she swept golden locks of hair out of her eyes. There was so much she hadn't noticed before. 

"You okay? You're staring."

Riley broke from her stupor and turned her face away. "Yeah, I'm just... I'm good."

"Well, good, because I really want to talk to you about something." Maya stopped in front of their bench seat bay window in the hallway.

Riley glanced sideways at her. "Yeah?" The jig was up.

"Yeah. I just wanted to make sure what was happening with me and Lucas was okay with you. You seemed really weird about it the other night."

Riley froze. "I--I don't know what you're talking about."

"Riley, yes. Yes you do. And you've been acting weird ever since." She put her hand on the band of her sweatpants and frowned. 

Riley took a breath. "I promise it's fine, Maya."

"I don't believe you."

Riley sighed. "Well, then I don't know what to tell you." 

Maya squinted at her, frowning. "Ring pow--"

Riley turned and walked away before she could finish.

"RILEY! Riley Matthews. Don't you walk away from me!" she chased her down the hallway, grabbing her shoulder and forcing her around. "What the heck is going on with you? I'm serious."

Riley sighed. "I don't want to talk about it. And I don't want you to use ring power." She looked into Maya's eyes for the first time in what felt like forever. It was like looking into the sun, she hadn't noticed how blue they were, how they pulled you in. She hadn't realized what had been right in front of her this entire time.

She took a deep breath. "You know how, sometimes, you don't really realize what you have until it's... gone?" Riley asked quietly.

Maya stared at her, narrowing her eyes. "Lucas?" she asked softly.

Riley didn't respond. She couldn't. "If that's what you feel, Riles... it's done. It's over between me and him. Nothing has even really, started," she said in a low voice, with a note of sadness that Riley couldn't ignore.

"Ahh, no I'm being selfish. I'm... it's not Lucas. It's all fine, I promise. Please just go and be happy. I just want you to be happy." Riley shook her head and turned around, walking quickly towards the cafeteria. Maya didn't follow.

***********

Later that night as Riley lay in bed in the darkness, she finally allowed herself to acknowledge the intrusive thoughts she had during the day. She imagined Maya sleeping next to her in bed, the heat of her body up against her. She thought of her thighs in the cab, her glorious thighs on top of her and moving with every bump in the road. She thought of what she was wearing underneath that skirt, what it would feel like to take it off.

She did not get a lot of sleep.


	3. Blood Loss

"The blue one. The blue one? Riley?"

Riley jerked awake. She looked around, she was unfortunately in physics class and not in her bed.

"Shit, Chai I'm so sorry. I must have dozed off." She looked across the table at her lab partner, who was smirking over a test tube.

Riley had been dozing off in nearly all her classes this week. Luckily, her dad was out sick and they had been given free period for History all week so she didn't have to deal with him. He would not have taken to her naps lightly.

"Something keeping you up at night?" Chai asked, smiling kindly at her.

Riley looked away. "I guess you could say that."

Her and Maya weren't speaking. Ever since she had stormed away from her in the hallway, Maya seemed to be avoiding her. Riley hadn't texted or called or looked for her. It was the longest they had gone without talking.

"Is it Maya?"

"How did you know?"

Chai smirked. "It's obvious. You guys are attached at the hip, people notice when that's no longer the case."

She was right, of course. Lucas, Zay and Smackle had all asked her what was going on. Why they weren't walking to school together and why Maya was spending lunch in the art studio.

"Yeah, I guess we're just going through some... growing pains." she muttered.

Chai put the test tube back in it's holder and looked around the classroom. She leaned in towards Riley, "So, she finally told you?"

"Told me what?"

Chai cocked her head to the side. "You mean she didn't.... tell you something related to growing pains?"

Riley shook her head. "What are you on about?"

Chai bit her lip. "I really shouldn't be the one telling you this..."

"Well, now you have to!" Riley exclaimed indignantly. People around them were starting to stare.

"Shh, shh. Lower your voice. Did Maya ever tell you about our movie dates last year?"

Riley furrowed her eyebrows and leaned in closer. "Yeah. You guys used to hangout while I was hanging out with Lucas..."

Chai tapped her fingers on the edge of the table and stared at Riley. "I really shouldn't." She started to get up but Riley quickly reached across the table and grabbed her hand. "Chai, you're not going anywhere. What are you talking about?"

She sighed. "Listen, let's just say that those movie dates were more than just... hanging out." Riley's jaw dropped. "You can't mean they were... dates? Date-dates?"

Chai smiled. 

"But, but.. how? How could she not tell me this?" She ran her fingers through her hair and looked away from Chai. "I'm so confused."

Chai breathed deeply, "I told her back then that she should have just told you."

"Well, what happened? Was it just a few times or...?"

"Relax, it never went anywhere. We didn't have a strong connection, not like you guys." she added quickly.

Riley felt her face turning red. She broke Chai's intense eye contact and looked around the room at her classmate's packing their things; she hadn't even noticed the bell had rung.

"I'm--I... I have to go." She couldn't look at Chai smirking across the table at her any longer.

She walked through the halls blindly, ringing in her ears. From far away she heard Farkle and Smackle call her name out, but it was barely on her radar. Her feet were carrying her body swiftly forward, and once or twice people had to dive out of the way to avoid getting knocked over by her.

Riley was there before she even had time to think or prepare; it was instinctual. She banged the door open and let it slam against the wall.

"Jesus, fuck!" Maya had jumped so quickly she had banged her knees against the bottom of her easel, knocking it to the floor. 

Riley stood staring at her from the doorway, a mixture of heat and anger in her eyes burning into Maya.

"What is your problem?" Maya asked glaring at her, running a hand through her wild, blonde hair. She was wearing grey sweatpants, paint splattered across them and a flannel shirt that looked like it had been slept in. 

Riley stepped forward into the room and locked her jaw. "When were you going to tell me?"

Maya narrowed her eyes and remained silent for a moment. "Tell you about what?"

Riley turned and paced the room, her hands shaking. "You know. About... her."

Maya stared at her, "Who? Is it the paint fumes in here or are you actually high, Riley?"

Riley stopped suddenly and turned on her heel, walking dangerously close to Maya. "I've never been more awake, actually. What happened with Chai? Why didn't you tell me? Why did you lie to me?"

Maya's jaw dropped instantly. "Is that what this is about? That was forever ago."

"Exactly," Riley folded her arms, "and you kept it from me this entire time."

Maya shook her head and smiled a bitter, sarcastic smile that played on the corners of her lips. 

"Why are you avoiding the actual problem we have here with Lucas?" she sputtered in disbelief.

Riley stared at her, she could see the heat rising in Maya's cheeks. She broke her gaze and looked at the floor. Maya's unfinished painting was staring back at her, and it was a purple cat.

"Why are you painting purple cats?" she asked before she could stop herself.

Maya blinked and looked at the painting on the floor. "You're not getting out of my question. And because I can't get my mind off anything else all week..." she answered quietly, putting her hands in her pockets and turning away.

Riley stared at the back of her blonde head. 

"Why didn't you tell me, Maya? Why didn't you come to me if you were..." she struggled to find the word, "confused." She knew she was being hypocritical even as the words came out of her mouth.

Maya whipped around. "Believe me. I wanted to. But it's more complicated than you think, Riles." 

Riley felt herself softening at Maya's use of her nickname, and for a moment she lost herself in her best friend's deep blue eyes. Maya stared back into the depths of hers, and she swore she felt something pass between them. 

Maya was the one to finally break her gaze, stepping backwards and clearing her throat.

"Do you wanna maybe, hang out tonight? Bay window? I can... explain more there. And you know, you can finally get around to telling me what's up with your feelings for Huckleberry." Riley stared at her, watched her pick up her painting and organize the brushes in the tray.

"And this is for you by the way, it's not finished of course, but it was going to be a present for you." She lifted the painting up fully so Riley could examine it.

"Oh, Maya...." she felt herself slowly melting. "You're beautiful."

Maya's eyes widened and a faint blush crept up in her cheeks. She bit her lip. "Gee, Riles."

**************

The day could not end fast enough. Riley paid attention in her afternoon classes a total of zero minutes, staring out the window, staring at the clock, and wondering what Maya was going to tell her at the bay window. Weighing deeper on her mind was the question of what she herself would say to Maya. Every time she thought about telling her best friend about her intense attraction to her, she felt her mouth go dry and her breathing speed up as if all oxygen was cut off to her brain. 

At long last, the final bell of the day rang and Riley breathed a sigh of relief. She was so anxious to get home she barely noticed where she was going until she walked smack into Lucas. "Riley, slow down there!" he said, chuckling.

He was the last person she wanted to see. "Oh, my bad Lucas. Hope you had a nice day." She made to move past him but he held out his arm.

"Hold on there. Where's the fire? I wanted to ask you a question." 

She really, really wanted to get home, but he had piqued her interest. "Okay, shoot."

"I just wanted to make sure my date with Maya tonight was okay with you?"

The world screeched to a halt. Riley smiled. "I'm sorry, I think I just hallucinated for a minute. What was your question?"

Lucas put his hand on her shoulder. "Riley, I just wanted to make sure you were okay with me going out with Maya tonight? I know it's been a long time since we dated but--" But Riley wasn't listening anymore. She had wrenched from his grasp and continued her trek out the hall, tears filling her eyes and her heart thudding inside her chest.

What the fuck. What the actual fuck. Had Maya forgotten their plans so quickly? So easily? 

She ignored her family in the living room and stormed to her bedroom, slamming the door. She opened up an iMessage with Maya and shot her a quick text:

R: Thanks for nothing.

She locked the bay window and climbed under her covers, letting the sobs fill her until she fell asleep in the late afternoon light.

*********

Knock. Knock. Knock. 

Nothing.

Knock. Knock. BANG. CRASH.

Riley sat straight up in bed like a wooden plank. "What the FUCK?" she screamed across the room. Maya was on the floor with her window frame in her hands, untangling herself from blankets and brushing shards of glass out of her hair. "Maya, be careful!" Riley, forgetting herself, rushed across the room to sweep glass off of her best friend, "You could get seriously injured."

Maya stared at Riley as she carefully extracted pieces of glass from her hair and jacket. 

"Well, that's what you get for sending me a mysterious text and locking the bay window."

Riley froze. "Mysterious? You're the one who makes plans with me to fix our friendship tonight and instead chooses Lucas over me. Again."

Maya stiffened. "Lucas? He didn't ask me on a date until after our plans, and I said no! I swear." Riley searched her gaze. "You have to trust me."

Riley inhaled deeply. "Let's get this glass off of you."

Maya brushed the last shards out of her hair, and slowly took her jacket off. She was wearing a tight black tank top underneath, and Riley stared for a moment at the bare space on her hips between where the tank ended and her sweatpants began.

She must have looked for too long, because when she glanced up, Maya was staring at her with narrowed eyes. Riley felt her cheeks go red and busied herself sweeping the glass on the floor into a pile. "Ow, fuck!" she accidentally cut her finger and a drop of blood began to form. "Riles!" Maya moved towards her and grabbed her hand. "Be careful. We have to get the shard out so it doesn't get infected."

But Maya was holding her hand, and Riley could barely comprehend the words she was saying. She glanced up into Maya's eyes, mere inches away from her own and felt Maya's breath on her face. She physically could not control herself from glancing down at Maya's lips. 

Maya, realizing what was happening, turned crimson red. Riley could feel the heat burning in her face and the silence consumed the air around them. She couldn't make herself look up from her best friend's lips, afraid of what she might find in her eyes.

They couldn't sit there forever. 

Riley finally pulled away, the blood dripping and making a red trail across her hand. She looked anywhere but Maya's face.

"Riley," her voice, both a statement and a question. 

Riley couldn't find the words to answer. She was feeling lightheaded, from blood loss and sensory overload. 

"I think I know what's been going on." Maya's voice was far away, Riley was spinning. "I think I know what's been happening to you." Riley was on another planet, her dizziness spinning her out of orbit, away from Maya, away from her shimmering pink lips and her soft manicured hands splattered with purple paint.

"And if you won't say it, then I-I'll.. show you." Maya's voice was nervous, it was low and anxious. 

With a sudden and quick movement, Maya swept towards Riley, her hair whipping forward, her body magnetic and up against Riley before Riley had time to think or blink or prepare. Her lips on Riley's... her soft, wet lips pushing forward tentatively onto her best friend's. Her hands on Riley's back as she fainted from blood loss.

**************

"RILEY? HELLO?"

She awoke in the dim light of her bedroom. "Huh?" she muttered in response. What had happened? One minute she was asleep, dreaming Maya had kissed her and the next...

"God, Riley. You scared me so bad." Maya was visibly shaken, she looked just as pale as Riley.

Riley wiped her hair from her eyes and looked around. Maya was gripping her hand so hard her fingers were turning white. 

"I'm okay, Peaches." 

Maya's eyes had tears in them. "Christ."

She tried to sit up but Maya pushed her back down onto the floor with one quick movement. "Don't."

"That's probably a smart idea." Riley sighed. "What happened?"

Maya turned pink. She laid down on the floor next to Riley and stared up at the ceiling. "You really don't remember?"

Riley thought over her the last image in her brain before it went foggy... but Maya couldn't have been kissing her. "Well, I do but.. I think I must have been dreaming."

Maya audibly swallowed. "That...wasn't a dream, Riles." She turned her head to look at Riley.

Their eyes locked on each other, a mere few inches away from each other. "I see. " Riley said, in a low voice.

"I--I'm sorry. I don't know what got into me. I'll never do that again." Maya's voice cracked, and she looked away.

Riley reached over and turned Maya's face towards hers. "But what if I want you to do it again?"

Maya's eyes widened. Riley smiled, a mixture of nervousness and relief washing over her.

And then Maya pushed her face forward, meeting her best friend's lips and kissing like she had been waiting all her life to do so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was my first fanfiction in years and years lol so thank you for reading it! Also--isn't is so weird how Chai is just one letter away from Chair? I kept typing chair accidentally the entire time.


End file.
